Tag: Midwinter

Time Is Running Out – A Haibun, 14 December

As the days shortens and the nights lengthens to midwinter it feels like time is running out. Like soon there be no time left to do anything. The awareness of the coming turning does nothing to alleviate this feeling. Add to that a ton of course work left, a child’s birthday to celebrate and only ten days left to Christmas Eve, and the feeling goes from uneasy to alarming. There really is very little time to get everything left to do done.

Time is running out
This odd year is about to end
Darkness flowing in

© RedCat

Image credits:

First image: Photo by Aron Visuals on Unsplash
Second image: Photo by Gerald Berliner on Unsplash
Third image: Photo by Justin Veenema on Unsplash

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Susurration of Snow – 9 December

The pitch black midwinter night
Is filled with falling white
Giving off it’s own light

Quieting every city sound
Only the susurration of flakes tumbling around
Before they land sparkling on the ground

In the landscapes muted glow
Keep faith and let the heart know
There are buds of new life hibernating under the snow

©REDCAT
©RedCat

Image credits:

First image: Photo by Jessica Fadel on Unsplash
Second image: Photo by RedCat
Third image: Photo by Kajetan Sumila on Unsplash
Forth image: Photo by Viva Zhang on Unsplash

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Icy Blue Sky – 7 December

The afternoon sky is icy blue
Quickly deepening to a darker hue
The new moon is a thin sickle
Midwinter energies begin to tickle
The turning of the year is soon
Following upon the cold wolf moon

The time to prepare is here
Assess, take stock, root out old fears
Let go of mental cobwebs and rust
Give space to shed tears if you must
Envision yourself in the place you dream off
Let the new year new life begin and take off

©REDCAT

Image credits:

First image: Photo by Jordan Steranka on Unsplash
Second image: Photo by Jônatas Tinoco on Unsplash
Third image: Photo by Prashant Gurung on Unsplash

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Waiting a Long December Night – 1 December (2020 Re-post)

Waiting a long December night
It’s easy to startle and take fright
Imagine goblins and ghosts
Even though the night are like most
Not yet full winter nights
When the moon is hid from sight

Waiting a long December night
I light candles to burn bright
Imagine unconstrained Christmas cheer
Cosying up with all I hold dear
Wishing for a new year
Without an pandemic to fear

Waiting a long December night
When the moon is hid from sight
I light candles to burn bright
To ward off spirits mischievous fright
Seasonal rhymes and rituals write
Waiting a long December night

©RedCat

Re-post comment:

Today is December 1st, and Wednesday. So this years advent calendar starts off with a re-post from last year. My creative writing classes and the fact that I brazenly decided to take 200% worth of classes has taken all my time and energy this fall. What little I had left got lost amid some family emergencies and other normal life stuff. Even so I decided to try to keep this tradition. If you like to join in post your own advent themed poem in the comment section.

Enjoy!

Last night I where kept up until the small hours by my youngest. Giving me some time to prepare today’s Advent calendar post. Missing to much sleep is never good. But sometimes writing in the witching hour gives great results. ;-)

©RedCat

If you’d like to read last years calendar the post can be found here.

Image credits:

First image: Photo by Vlad Bagacian from Pexels
Second image: Photo by Waldemar Brandt on Unsplash

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The ivory lighthouse (2019 Re-post)

Re-post comment:
Time for another Wandering the Archives Wednesday. Today’s been filled with writing stories. So I decided to share one of the first I wrote in poetry form.

Pharos ~ The Lighthouse, Kerry O’Connor, @skyloverpoetry

I

Hurt beyond measure
Faith in humanity utterly lost
She decided to seek solitude
The soothing presence of the seas endless swells
Mist that obscures everything
The cries of seabirds

II

High in the tower snug with a roaring blaze in the hearth
At peace thou outside the winter storms
Wailing presence around her shutters
Safe among her books and scrolls
Content with the rhythmic beacon-light sweep
Reassured by the mourning foghorn sound
Winter swells are not for sailing

III

Then suddenly cries and shouts
Running feet on the stairs
They don’t disturb her at first
The running of the tower, light and horn are the servants
hers the contemplating solitude

IV

The storm has brought a shipwreck
The vessel all in splinters
Among the swells dead sailors
Only one survivor
They call on her to use her healing skill
She mends his bones, tends bruises and sores with salves

V

Once he awakens, she finds a pair of honest eyes
A heart open to life’s joy
A curious mind ready to soar
In her heart she feels an igniting spark
Two lonely souls together for the solstice
Who knows what they have to share
During all those winter months, isolated until spring

© REDCAT

Had a busy week and weekend. Celebrated birthday. Went to a concert and out salsa dancing. Gave myself some time off blogging to enjoy other things in life and not stress out about views.
This is written for Kerry’s prompt on Real Toads ~ Art FLASH! / 55 in December. Already Sunday evening here, but if possible I’ll try to write something in the 55 form also. A third poem appeared in my head and made this weeks contribution to Pantry of Poetry and Prose.

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December Moon – A prayer (2019 Re-post)

Photo by Joonas kääriäinen from Pexels

30th December 2020
Tonight’s the last full moon of 2020. The Wolf Moon. The Elder Moon. The Moon of long midwinter nights.

Re-posting a poem from last year. This one made it into my Book of Shadows! :-)

Long night moon, last light
before midwinter
Lend your shine
to the crown on the maiden
Guide her steps
as she seeks the shadow hidden self

Wolf moon, silver light
upon dark lands
Lend your clear sight
to the eyes of the mother
Guide her hands
as she steers her den and pups through winter

Elder moon, eternal light
keeper of mysteries
Lend your divine wisdom
to the heart of the crone
Guide her words
as she teaches the young and prepare to move on

© REDCAT

2019
Written for this years last full moon on December 12th.

Also posted to Pantry of Poetry and Prose #8 at Poets United.

Rolf Dietrich Brecher from Germany [CC BY-SA 2.0]
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Solstice prayer – 21 December (2019 Re-post)

© RedCat

I burn this so it may die within me
Leaving fertile ashes
where new life-pattern can grow

I burn this to signify re-birth
To give the seeds sown space
and nourishment to grow

I burn this to signify my Will set
Writing my pain,
Finding peace
Dancing with soul
Showing passion
Self-loving in heart
Accepting philia

© REDCAT

Written for the solstice ritual of 2019.

The unusual and artistic image below, made using a technique known as “solargraphy” in which a pinhole camera captures the movement of the Sun in the sky over many months, was taken from the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) telescope on the plateau of Chajnantor.
Read more on the linked source page.

ESO/R. Fosbury/T. Trygg/D. Rabanus [CC BY 4.0]
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Dark moon of the crone – 15 December (2019 Re-post)

Leatask [CC BY 4.0]

Soon the dark moon of the crone is upon us
Time to face mortality
Time to bury the old
Time to celebrate rebirth
The kingdom of heaven is built upon love
Be brave of heart if that’s your aim
Humans often prefer known fears
Over an open heart vulnerable to deceit

© REDCAT

Had a week and weekend full of celebrating birth, contemplating death, and the possibility of rebirth. So all my three posts this weekend belong in the same theme. The Ivory Lighthouse, Cold Moon.
Also posted to Poets United ~ Pantry of Poetry and Prose #7.

Photo by invisiblepower from Pexels
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